Selasa, 19 Juni 2012

New Car: 2013 Kia Sorento

The Kia Sorento is getting some updates for the 2013 model year in Europe, but the question of when those updates will come to the American model is still unanswered.

The design on the Euro-spec model is fairly evolutionary, which makes sense considering that the 2013 model is technically a mid-cycle refresh. Designers cleaned up the front end with a subtly different curved grille/headlight setup, and smaller fog lamp apertures in the bumper fascia. The doors and greenhouse are mostly left unchanged, but the tailgate is all-new with shapelier taillights.

Kia says that the biggest changes to the model are under the skin, led by an updated chassis. Car says that the Sorento’s new chassis could save up to 220 pounds and go toward improving the car’s handling and ride refinement. Kia also promises improvements to the Sorento’s cadre of engines to deliver better fuel economy. Those engines are a 2.0-liter diesel engine that makes 147 hp, and a 2.2-liter diesel that produces 194 hp.

Inside, there’s a revised center stack with a seven-inch touch screen, and an available panoramic sunroof that does without the previous sunroof’s crossbrace. It also comes with a power sunshade.

While we do know the new Kia Sorento is a looker, we’re not sure when these updates — sans the diesel engines, of course — will be applied to the U.S.-spec Sorento model. Kia was tight-lipped about the possibility of a refreshed Sorento, only saying that the current U.S.-spec car “will receive some product enhancements,” without going into detail about what or when.

The European Kia SUV bows this autumn, so expect an answer to that question by the end of 2012.